This year, 80 young women from the Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana area gathered together to celebrate their accomplishments as they officially became Gold Award Girl Scouts!

These girls amassed over 6,400 service hours combined by taking action and effecting positive change. Each of these girls showed thorough dedication to making the world a better place in their own unique ways.

View photos from this year’s Gold Award Ceremony in our photo album on Facebook.
To learn more about the Gold Award, check out the informational program booklet on our website.

Part Four: Meet 10 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Continue to follow along to meet more Gold Award girls throughout this blog series!

Rayna H.

For her Gold Award, Rayna sought to improve reading comprehension and literacy in students attending Georgetown Elementary. With a team of community members and peers, Rayna organized a book party to encourage reading and expose kids to different genres!

Adrianna H.

For her Gold Award, Adrianna supplied basic necessities for children in rural Cambodia. She reached out to businesses, secured reliable international shipping, acquired the needed items, and maintained a relationship with a school in Cambodia to provide resources.

Lura H.

The basement of Lura’s local church had extensive water damage and was painted a dark color, making the room unwelcoming to those attending Sunday School. For her Gold Award, Lura helped refinish and refurbish the classroom. The basement is now being used for fourth grade Sunday school students!

Katie Caroline H.

For her Gold Award, Katie Carline rallied her community to save the local jail that doubles as a Halloween Haunted House. Together, they cleaned and repainted the building. She continues to encourage other groups and troops in the area to pitch in and continue her efforts!

Makena H.

Makena wanted to celebrate the power of women everywhere. For her Gold Award, Makena gathered participants of all ages and genders to learn about 8 community leaders of various racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. Each participant received beads after each workshop to make a bracelet, and a booklet of facts about each of the women with the hopes of continuing cultural awareness in young girls.

Hannah Louise H.

Hannah Louise combined her passion for girl empowerment and writing. Her program, Write On, Girl!, included a curriculum designed to inspire girls to express themselves through the power of the pen. Together, they explored different writing methods to help raise self-esteem, promote creativity, and cultivate their own unique voice.

Akayla J.

For her Gold Award, Akayla set out to raise awareness in her community about Lupus. Akayla created and directed a video telling her own personal journey with Lupus She also interviewed another Lupus patient, and included a Q&A for the most asked questions.

Jacqueline J.

Jacqueline was always curious about all the workers and their jobs whenever she visited her doctor’s office. Inspired by hearing their stories and their responsibilities in their positions—some of which she didn’t know existed—she decided to educate others on these cool and interesting jobs in the medical field. For her Gold Award, Jacqueline created a website highlighting careers in healthcare and medicine in order to expose the field to students who haven’t considered it yet.

Micayla J.

For her Gold Award, Micayla partnered with Rush University Rehabilitation department to collect clothes for patients who did not have gym clothes to do physical therapy. These donations allow patients to be more comfortable during their therapy sessions.

Vanessa K.

Vanessa K. focused her Gold Award project on improving and rehabbing two areas around her church that had been neglected. For her project, she re-painted and cleared debris from one side of her church as well as fill an area in the church garden with plants to attract pollinators!

Go for Gold!

Bronze. Silver. Gold. These represent the highest honors a Girl Scout can earn.

These awards each give you the chance to do big things while supporting an issue you care about. You might plant a vegetable garden at your school, or inspire others to get exercising for your Bronze. You might advocate for environmental change for your Silver, or build a girl’s empowerment collective for your Gold. Whatever you choose, you’ll inspire others and yourself along the way. 

As you earn one of Girl Scouts’ highest awards, you’ll change your corner of the world—and beyond. The possibilities are endless.

Learn more about earning the Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards.

Don’t miss out on meeting the previously featured Gold Award Girls Scouts!
Part One: Meet the first 10 girls (last names A-B) »
Part Two: Meet the second 10 girls (last names B-D) »
Part Three: Meet the third 10 girls (last names F-H) »